Unplanned Ascending of a Rope

Here in MN we have a good climbing area over Lake Superior with approximately 100ft climbs. Since the bottom is not approachable, we do a top belay with one fixed rope and one climbing rope (sometimes the two lines are achieved with one rope by doing a figure eight on a bight). Sometimes an issue arises where a climber can't make it to the top, and we have to find someone with a couple ascenders where we set up something at the top and haul them up foot by foot. It takes a while. I've never gotten stuck, but I wonder what's the best way for the climber to ascend the rope? I'd rather not be a pain for others if I end up getting stuck. I'd also rather not bring two ascenders and a GriGri if I can help it. I do have a GriGri and usually bring it on the climb as I've been told I can be taught how to ascend the rope with the GriGri if need be. So is the GriGri my best bet, or is there another good option? GriGri plus a prussik and a sling or two? Or should I just suck it up and go buy an ascender or two?

Practice prussiking it's not that hard.

+1 for prusiks.

As much as I hate using them to ascend a rope, you will never catch me without a set on my harness. Lightweight and easy to deploy, just get ready for a work out.

Every climber should have some prusik cord and know how to use it. It isn't hard and it's fun to set up a rope and practice.

You can carry a single prussic to tie in addition to the gri if you want. You can carry a single little ascender like a tibloc if you like metal.

Really though, this is toproping right? If we are talking about vertical rock, where after you fall you can still touch the rock, the faster method is to be a wimp.

Set up for a move you can't make and shrug your pelvis upward while screaming "take take take take take". Bam, 4" inches. Do this a few times. You've made it a couple feet. Then you find easier ground and get to the top. Done, no hardware required. Now talk to your belayer that the moves seemed reasonable enough and that if they were your style, you totally could have done it.

This has long been mastered at Freemont Canyon but in the last decade has reached unprecedented perfection in Ouray.

My favorite setup for ascending is a plate style auto-locking device like a Kong Gigi (not Gri-Gri) clipped to my belay loop and a Bachmann hitch on a carabiner for the stirrups (also clipped to the belay loop for redundancy). Make sure to get the carabiners set correctly for the Gigi. In my opinion this takes less effort to use than the prussik set-up and the weight is about the same.

nicelegs wrote: Set up for a move you can't make and shrug your pelvis upward while screaming "take take take take take". Bam, 4" inches. Do this a few times. You've made it a couple feet. Then you find easier ground and get to the top. Done, no hardware required. Now talk to your belayer that the moves seemed reasonable enough and that if they were your style, you totally could have done it. This has long been mastered at Freemont Canyon but in the last decade has reached unprecedented perfection in Ouray.

I thought that was just called "rock climbing."

:)

Kyle Robson wrote:Sometimes an issue arises where a climber can't make it to the top, and we have to find someone with a couple ascenders where we set up something at the top and haul them up foot by foot.

Hard to tell from your description, but hopefully you aren't dragging the loaded rope over an edge to haul? I'd like to assume you aren't but figured I'd check. Hopefully you aren't belaying with the rope running over the edge either. Not familiar with your particular area but it sounds like you may be a newer climber and you'd be well served learning these things in person from someone knowledgeable (which may not be all frequent climbers at the area).

Definitely agree with the presiks recommendation! Lightweight, simple, and versatile. (Plus call me crazy but I think they're kind of fun to ascend with)

MojoMonkey, a few people hang the master point over the edge and use a hanging belay, but the vast majority of people use a grigri on the master point above the edge and let the rope run over the edge with a piece of carpet padding it. If you have better ideas I'd be glad to hear it. The only time I needed to haul a climber up was with a large group where someone with more experience than you or I set up a haul system that I trusted. That was the first time I saw an ascender and still have no idea how he did it.

eating more beans should give you superhuman powers in this situation

2-1 drop loop.

Since you're running two lines down (rappel and belay), I'd simply cheat in the hard parts using the rappel line as my hold.

When you don't have such a convenient setup, learn to prussik. On the following link it's the 1st "field use" listed. Links from climbing.com didn't work, here's the google cached version:

webcache.googleusercontent.…

nicelegs wrote:Set up for a move you can't make and shrug your pelvis upward while screaming "take take take take take". Bam, 4" inches. Do this a few times. You've made it a couple feet. Then you find easier ground and get to the top. Done, no hardware required. Now talk to your belayer that the moves seemed reasonable enough and that if they were your style, you totally could have done it. .

^
this haha. i've had to use the prusik + gri gri approach as well. it works but is a considerable workout.

Henry T. wrote:My favorite setup for ascending is a plate style auto-locking device like a Kong Gigi (not Gri-Gri) clipped to my belay loop and a Bachmann hitch on a carabiner for the stirrups (also clipped to the belay loop for redundancy). Make sure to get the carabiners set correctly for the Gigi. In my opinion this takes less effort to use than the prussik set-up and the weight is about the same.

Ah, but can you get the Gigi onto the rope when you're hanging on it too gassed to make another upwards move? Most folks will need two rope grabs (prusiks, Tiblocs, Bachmann's etc) to move up far enough to generate the needed slack to put a Gigi/Grigri/similar locking assist piece into use.

OP - definitely get some training and oversight before you find yourself or your partner hanging on the rope 80 ft down as the stars come out and the winds pick up.

The answer is: take off that stupid strap on your chalk bag and replace it with prussic chord. Now you can prussic when it's unplanned.

Simple

Gunkiemike, the second line is a rappel line and unused when climbing. It can be ascended and is not weighted, so you can put the GriGri or GiGi into it easily. Also I forgot that I don't need to carry any ascending gear with me because someone can lower the ascending stuff via the rappel line. So really it's just a matter of what's the fastest way to ascend the rope. I'd be on belay the whole time too, so I don't think safety is a concern as it would be if I were ascending it solo.

Mike wrote:2-1 drop loop.

bingo. Should be plan A,

Plan B should entail you knowing a variety of friction knots - prossick, climnheist, bachman, etc. - and apply accordingly.

Also realize you probably only have to get up a few feet before you can resume climbing - you aren't ascending El-Cap

Just because it "can be lowered" to you doesn't mean you shouldn't carry something with you. Ever heard of a stuck rope? Wind? Murphy's Law? Yes, have some extras at the top out, but carry on your harness at least enough cord or slings to make some sort of ascension device to get you back to the top. What is on your harness should be your first resort; what is at the top should be last resort. Be able to get yourself out of the situation (self-rescue) rather than relying on others.

Googling 2-1 drop loops isn't giving me much. Can anyone share a link?

Kyle Robson wrote:Googling 2-1 drop loops isn't giving me much. Can anyone share a link?

I can't find anything either. But instead of doing a standard haul with a prussic and a guide plate/grigri you lower your partner a bight of rope from the belay strand with a locker on it, have them clip it to their belay loop. Then you have them pull down on the strand going to the belay device while you pull the other side of the bight up (or down through a redirect). This will feed the rope through the belay device, raising the climber. It's less work for the belayer and it makes the climber feel less useless. However you need a lot of free rope to do it.